Cause to effect is one of three types of story or plot organization. It is also the most prevalent of those types, the others being character organization and idea organization. All three usually are present within a story, but one is usually dominant. Cause to effect requires two parts. Something happens early in the story, usually in the exposition that sets the action in motion. The rest of the main story is a consequence of that event. For instance, a story may feature a kidnapping (cause) that results in the other characters trying to find the kidnapper and retrieve the child (effect).